Ukraine news latest: Vladimir Putin to face ‘extremely serious’ sanctions as Russia claims win in ‘SHAM’ referendums

RUSSIA claims to have won the ‘SHAM’ referendums as voting ended in Russian-held regions of Ukraine. Moscow-installed officials in the regions are now claiming almost total support among those who took part as Russian sources reported that 96% of voters want to join Putin’s regime. The ballots closed in Donetsk and Lugansk in the east and Kherson and Zaporizhzhia in the south, as Putin desperately attempts to consolidate his gains in Ukraine. Western leaders have already slammed the votes, with President Zelensky branding them “illegal.” Ukrainian Foreign Minister Dmytro Kuleba called on the EU to impose “extremely serious” sanctions on Russia. Read our Ukraine-Russia live blog below for the latest updates…